🎶 "When our hands touch the dutar, we touch 1,000 years of history," says a silver-haired musician in Shache County, where CGTN’s Nadim Diab continues his 2026 exploration of Uygur Muqam – the UNESCO-recognized art form blending poetry, dance, and desert rhythms.
In southern Xinjiang, farmers-turned-musicians rehearse the Twelve Muqam under poplar trees 🌳. These cultural guardians, some aged 70+, teach ancient melodies to Gen-Z apprentices using smartphones 📱 – proving tradition needs no museum when it has passionate people.
Two hours north in Makit County, the documentary reveals Muqam’s wilder side. Desert-born Dolan Muqam erupts with raw, throat-sung intensity 🏜️. "It’s like heavy metal meets Sufi poetry," Diab describes, as performers channel centuries of Silk Road resilience through pounding drums and whirling dances.
This fifth episode drops as Xinjiang sees 15% YoY growth in cultural tourism 📈, with young travelers flocking to experience living traditions. As one 19-year-old apprentice says: "My TikTok covers get 10k likes, but Muqam? That’s our soul." 🎵
